Chandra Levy Murder Case Gets Fresh Look In Closed Door Meetings

New information has surfaced in the murder case of a 24-year-old former congressional intern, who disappeared in 2001 amid reports that she had been having an affair with then-congressman Gary Condit of California.

USA Today reports that federal prosecutors and lawyers for Ingmar Guandique, the man convicted of murdering Chandra Levy, have met twice since December in court hearings that have been closed to the media and the public.

Details of these meetings have yet to be released, but the information could call into question the testimony of one of the prosecution's witnesses, according to USA Today.

Levy remains were found in a Washington D.C. park in 2002. Guandique was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Condit was cleared of involvement in Levy's death. The affair and speculation that he had a hand in her disappearance, however, led to his ouster from Congress in a primary election in 2002.

Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that defense attorneys for Guandique were seeking a new trial for their client on the grounds that prosecutors withheld key information about a witness, according to officials familiar with the case.

Since the December meetings, however, Guandique's lawyers have put the appeal on hold.

Levy's father, Robert, told KGO-TV that regardless of the outcome of the closed-door meetings, Guandique should not be set free.

"He's a convicted rapist and an illegal alien," Robert Levy said. "He's not legal at all, he's not working or anything. He's just a criminal so he shouldn't go free. But if he's innocent of murder then he shouldn't be in jail for it."

The Star-Telegram reports that media organizations -- including McClatchy, The Washington Post, the Associated Press and Gannett -- filed papers formally challenging a judge’s orders to keep the meetings secret.

“In light of the total secrecy, news organizations ... that have attempted to report on these developments have been left to speculate about what is happening,” attorney Patrick J. Carome wrote in a brief for the media companies.